Railway stations in Manchester will be expanded and a new connection at Crewe constructed in order to better integrate the High Speed 2 link with the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR)
project, the government has announced.
The proposal seeks to double the number of HS2 platforms at Manchester Airport
station from two to four and increase the number at Manchester Piccadilly from four to six.
The expansion of the station will involve local funding contributions and the
government is working with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Manchester
Airports Group and other partners on this.
The government has also announced a consultation on plans for the design
of HS2’s Western Leg between Crewe and Manchester and how it can be
linked up with NPR, a wide-ranging project covering services across northern England, from Liverpool in the west to Hull in the east and from Newcastle in the north to Manchester.
The government says phase 2b of the HS2 link will be delivered in smaller sections than
previously planned, as recommended by the Oakervee Review of the project.
Transport minister Andrew Stephenson said, “Phase 2b of HS2 is key to
delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail and the consultation includes
proposals to integrate the designs at a series of ‘touchpoints’, which are
pieces of infrastructure to enable future connections between NPR and HS2.
These proposals have been developed in partnership with Transport for the North
and will reduce the amount of infrastructure required to deliver NPR in the
future.”
In addition, the government says an extra northern service from Crewe
could see up to seven HS2 trains per hour calling at the station, which could become a hub after a new connection to the NPR at Crewe was announced.
Stephenson announced the publication of a route-wide update which sets out wider
developments to the route.
“Engagement with affected communities is at the heart of our plans for
HS2 and it is our commitment to ensure we listen to those affected by these
proposals. Restrictions put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic mean
that we will not be able to hold local information events in the same way that
we usually would as part of our formal consultation process. HS2 Ltd will
deliver information events via digital platforms instead,” he said.
The government said that work on phase one of HS2, between London and Birmingham,
is already well underway at over 250 active sites. Legislation for Phase 2a, linking
Birmingham and Crewe, is currently being considered by parliament.